


Fandom Dynamics: Shipping Discourse Sucks

by Miss Anonymus (pluto_the_planet)



Series: Fandom Dynamics [1]
Category: Essays - Fandom, Fandom - Fandom
Genre: Discourse, Essays, Fandom, Fandom Culture, Fandom Discourse, Fanwork Research & Reference Guides, Meta, Shipping, Shipping Discourse, anti-shippers suck, author is pissed off, don't like don't read is a universal law, mentions of problematic shipping dynamics, slightly passive-agressive
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-23 19:51:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20013868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pluto_the_planet/pseuds/Miss%20Anonymus
Summary: Shipping discourse sucks, and I wrote an essay about it. It's slightly passive agressive, because I'm ticked off. I'm not trying to bash people, or offend anyone. I'v tried to be as unbiased as possible.Note: Ships used for examples in the is paper are not representative of the author's personal preferences. They are simply for convenience.





	Fandom Dynamics: Shipping Discourse Sucks

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! Just a disclaimer, I am not trying to start discourse or offend anyone (that's the whole point of this essay). If you have an issue with anything in this paper, or need something tagged, let me know. Feel free to leave a comment sharing your own opinons on this issue (respectfully!). Thank you s much for taking the time to read this. It's a little passive-agressive, but everything I write is.

Ship wars are shit. Honestly, I could end this essay write here. I’ve made my point. What else needs to be said?  
Sadly, in modern fandom culture, I can’t exactly stop here. Because apparently, some people are little trash goblins who shit on people for having different opinions than them.  
So here are the basic concepts of my entire essay:  
1\. People are going to enjoy what they enjoy  
2\. Bashing people for liking something will not stop them from enjoying it  
3\. Some ships are very problematic. Some ships include Pedophilia, abuse, and unhealthy dynamics.  
4\. You can’t stop people from enjoying those ships either  
5\. If you don’t agree with something, just ignore it.  
So there you go. I’ve made my point. If you want, you can stop reading now. However, I think more needs to be said. Let’s go into more detail about each concept.

 **1\. People are Going to Enjoy What They Enjoy**  
You might ship one thing. Someone else might ship another pairing. That’s completely fine. Fandom is a place for individual enjoyment. Don’t bash people for having different preferences than you. The are part of this fandom for the same reason you are: they feel a strong connection with the canon content. From this perspective, ship wars are just civil wars. You are only hurting yourselves by starting them.

 **2\. Bashing People for Liking Something will Not Stop Them from Liking it**  
You might disagree with a pairing. You might voice your opinion on that pairing. You might even write a 3,000 word essay on why that ship is awful and stupid. But here’s a little secret: that’s not going to do jack shit.  
People are still going to ship this pairing. They don’t care how many reasons you have for why that ship sucks. They don’t care. They will still enjoy it. There is nothing you can do about that.  
More likely, you will simply start negative discourse within your fandom. That’s not going to help anyone. I’m not saying that you can’t have shipping preferences. I’m saying that you shouldn’t bash other people for their preferences.  
Here’s an example of what I mean:  
**Good:** BakuDeku is a cool ship, but personally, I prefer Deku x Ochako  
**Bad:** BakuDeku is an awful ship, and Deku x Ochako is superior. Here are 30 reasons why:

 **3\. Some Ships are Problematic. Some Ships Include Pedophilia, Abuse, and Unhealthy Dynamics.**  
Sometimes, someone might ship a pairing that is unhealthy. Sometimes, these pairings romanticize abuse and incest. People are still going to enjoy them, no matter how wrong others think they are.

(Note: This kind of shipping discourse differs from the previous kind discussed. In the previously mentioned, you and somebody else might have different ships. However, both of your ships are healthy and harmless. Discourse tends to arise around problematic ships because they are problematic.)

You might wonder why people ship these things in the first place. Below, I’ve listed some reasons I’ve seen listed in various discourse posts.  
Why Do People Ship It?  
\- The Canon-verse is fiction, and in shipping this pairing, it gives you the chance to explore things that are not healthy or good in society.  
\- Kinks  
\- The dynamics and situations interest you

(Note: I am, in no way, saying that unhealthy relationships are okay. Personally, I no not like unhealthy pairings. I am trying to be as unbiased as possible while writing this section. I am also not trying to bash people who ship problematic pairings. I am sorry if I offend anyone, that is not my intention.)

 **4\. You Can Not Stop People From Enjoying Problematic Ships**  
No matter how wrong you may think it is, or how much you hate it, you can not stop people from enjoying it. You might write a meta about why it's unhealthy, or go on a rant about romanticizing abuse. That’s not going to make people stop shipping it. More likely, it will simply start discourse and arguments.

 **5\. If You Don’t Like Something, Ignore It**  
Yes, this is the ultimate truth of shipping. You may not like a ship. Youmay think that a certain pairing is unhealthy. The sad truth is, there is nothing you can do about it. People are going to enjoy what they enjoy. Nothing you do will change that.  
The best thing you can do is respect other people’s opinions, and ignore the things you don’t like. If you don’t agree with something, don’t interact with it. To put it simply: If you don't like it, don't read it.

Hopefully, in the future, we can have more constructive, meaningful conversations about shipping discourse. But, for now, it seems we are not ready. So, until that time comes, follow one simple rule:  
**Don’t like, Don’t read.**


End file.
